


Lean on Me

by Titch360



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-13
Updated: 2016-08-13
Packaged: 2018-08-08 14:45:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 12,081
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7761991
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Titch360/pseuds/Titch360
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Lean on me, when you're not strong, and I'll be your friend; I'll help you carry on.  For, it won't be long, 'til I'm going to need...somebody to lean on.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Lean on Me

Lean on Me

 

With a sigh of relief, Tim Drake shouldered his way into his apartment.  A smile worked its way across his face as he saw the comforting confines of his home away from the Manor.  _Once I get cleaned up, I’m hitting up that couch for a nice, long nap,_ he thought as he dropped his computer bag by the door.

This past week had been hectic for the teen in all aspects of his life.  He had several requests to return to San Francisco, as the Titans were facing some troubles and needed his help.  He couldn’t accommodate them, however, because the Wayne Foundation had been subject to an oversight audit.  As the head of the Foundation, his presence was absolutely necessary.  The government was looking into every transaction the charity organization had made in the last three years.  Tim couldn’t help but notice that the review period covered his time in charge of the Foundation.  He firmly believed that he was the one being audited, not the Wayne Foundation.

Fortunately, the auditor proved to be a nice, likable guy.  At the end of the audit, last night, he informed Tim that this ended up being the cleanest audit he had done in years, and praised Tim for running such an open and honest company.  Tim was so proud of the Foundation staff that he approved for them all to have Friday off.  He, of course, didn’t have the luxury of taking the day off, not as the head of the charity organization.  It had turned into a very productive day for him, as he was able to complete several days’ worth of paperwork, pushed to the side out of necessity during the audit.  Being the only person in the office also allowed him to forgo the suit and tie in favor of a t-shirt and jeans, and he could play his music as loud as he wanted while he worked.

After a quick shower, Tim opened the blinds and looked out on the city.  The urban renewal project had been completed months before, and Tim enjoyed the new view from his fifth-floor apartment.  Urban blight had given way to modern structures and new parks were thriving.  He opened the window to allow a warm breeze into his living room as he turned off the lights, laid down on his couch, and threw an arm over his eyes.

Tim awoke from his light doze to a series of soft noises he couldn’t place.  He figured they were coming from the open window.  Tim wasn’t worried, though; very few people could enter through the open fifth-floor window, and none of those that could worked while the sun was still up.  Tim closed his eyes again and quickly dozed off.

“Your security precautions are feeble at best, Drake.”

Tim’s eyes snapped open at the sound of the voice in his apartment.  He sat bolt upright and stared at the boy relaxing in the arm chair across from his couch.

“D-Damian?  What are you doing here?  How did you even get in here?”

“Wasn’t that hard,” Damian said, a hint of a smirk on his face.  Looking around, Damian said, “I will say, though, you have a nice place here, Drake.”

“Thank you,” Tim said absently, still trying to comprehend the appearance of the youth in his apartment.  Vaguely, he remembered that this was actually Damian’s first time inside his apartment.  Somehow, the boy’s approval meant something to him.

“Why are you here?  How did you get in?” Tim asked again.

“I knocked.  You were obviously asleep.”

“…So you chose to break in when I didn’t open the door?” Tim interrupted testily.

“I was going to pick the lock…”

Tim shot to his feet, “Damian, that’s breaking and entering.  I thought Dick was working with you on not breaking laws?”

Damian cleared his throat as Tim sat down again.  “As I was saying, I was going to pick the lock, but I didn’t have to.  It was unlocked.  You didn’t lock the door when you came in, obviously.  It’s not breaking and entering when the door is open.”

Tim grimaced, “I guess you can’t really be charged with just ‘and entering’.  I see Dick has been teaching you technicalities instead of the laws.”

“What we do is not entirely legal.  We need to know the technicalities.  If you remember, you were the one to teach me that.”

Tim nodded slowly, “Yeah, I guess I did.  So, Dick has been picking up where I left off?”

Damian looked away uncomfortably.  “Yeah…sure.”

Tim’s indignation at Damian’s intrusion melted away as concern at the boy’s tone of voice took over.  “What is it?”

Damian looked at anything but Tim as he said, “He’s been…busy.  It feels like…never mind”

“Damian, you can talk to me.  Has something been going on at home?” Tim leaned forward, wondering if he had missed something with his busy work schedule.

Damian looked down and said quietly, “They’ve all been busy lately.  It feels like I’m just in the way.  Then, I messed up Pennyworth’s decoration, and I screwed up on patrol…”

Tim held his hands up as Damian got on a roll.  “Whoa, whoa, whoa.  Let’s take it one thing at a time here.  What happened on patrol?  Bruce didn’t mention anything.”

Damian blushed deep red as he continued to stare at his shoes.  “I…kinda…fell off a building last weekend.”

Tim’s eyes widened, “You _what!_  Are you alright?”

“It was my fault.  I didn’t aim my grapple correctly, and the hook didn’t catch right.  Father…Father had to break off pursuit of our suspect to swing out and catch me.  We lost him, the suspect.  Father and Grayson were so disappointed with me.  I think they’ve been avoiding me since then.  I don’t blame them.  I failed…again.”

“Are you sure they’re disappointed, and not scared that they could have lost you?” Tim asked softly.  Damian didn’t answer, so Tim changed the subject.  “What happened with Alfred?”

Damian drew a shuddering breath before saying, “I’ve been helping him set up for this weekend.  He had just finished setting up a table in the hallway, and I knocked it over.  I didn’t mean to.  I was carrying a table into the ballroom for him and…it just happened.  He said he wasn’t mad, but I think he was.  He spent a lot of time on that, and I ruined it.”

“Why are you really here, Damian?” Tim asked softly.

Still not looking at Tim, Damian said, “Father and Grayson have been worried about you.  They haven’t heard from you in a while, and they wanted to make sure you were okay.”

Tim heard the slight questioning tone in his brother’s voice, but he didn’t need to hear that to know he wasn’t hearing the whole truth.  Tim gave him a sly look and said, “So, they sent you to check in on me?”

“…Yes.”

“I thought you said they’ve been avoiding you.”

“…Yes,” the boy mumbled, “but, they’ve missed you.”

Tim smiled at the boy and leaned closer.  “You’re lying to me,” he said silkily.

Damian’s head snapped up with a mixed expression on his face.  “I am not,” he said indignantly.

Tim’s smile grew, “Damian, I had lunch with them this afternoon.  There was no great, longing desire to see me expressed.  There was no outpouring of concern for my well-being, just the simple meal we arranged a couple days ago.  I think you may be having trouble with your pronouns.”

“Yeah, well…” Damian looked down at his hands as Tim got up and knelt before his brother.

“You could have called, you know.  I’m sorry I haven’t been around much.  I get the feeling you’ve needed me, and I haven’t been there for you like I promised I would be.  I promised you could lean on me any time you needed help, and I meant it.  So, why don’t you tell me why you’re really here?”

Damian sighed, knowing he was caught.  Instead of speaking, Damian slid off the chair and leaned into Tim, wrapping his arms tightly around his brother’s shoulders.  Tim wasn’t expecting that, and it took him a few seconds to return the hug.

Damian whispered, “It’s all been so crazy at home.  First, I screw up on patrol.  Father and Grayson are rarely home lately.  Pennyworth and I have been running around non-stop.  That was okay, until I screwed that up.  I’ve been working extra to finish my school packets early.  Todd has been around more, and he and Father got into this huge argument on Tuesday.  You…you haven’t been around.  It just all…”

Tim squeezed tighter.  “It all built up, and you felt caught in the middle,” Tim finished.

Damian nodded against Tim’s shoulder.  _I wonder if anything else is going on, maybe something he doesn’t realize may be happening?_ Tim thought.  “Sounds like a lot’s going on.  So, why did you come here?”

“I wanted to talk to someone who would understand,” Damian muttered against Tim’s shoulder, hoping he wouldn’t be heard.  He was, but Tim thought it wouldn’t help anything to point it out.

Tim pushed the boy back to arm’s length and asked, “How did you get here?  Did Alfred bring you?  He isn’t waiting in the car, is he?”

“Tt.  The Spring Gala is tomorrow.  Pennyworth doesn’t have time to be driving me all over town.”

The smile fell from Tim’s face at the non-answer.  “You didn’t steal one of the cars, did you?”

Damian sighed, “No, I didn’t steal a car.  You know Father doesn’t let me drive, even though I can do it better than him, sometimes.”

“Well, then.  How did you get here?”

“Um…”

“Damian?”

Damian looked Tim in the eye and said, “I walked.”

Tim blinked at the answer.  It was absurd, but it was just the sort of thing he should have expected from Damian.  “Are you nuts?  That’s like…twelve miles.”

Damian shrugged, “Fourteen and a half.  So what?”

Tim looked hard into the boy’s eyes before he asked, “Damian, I need a straight answer to this question.  Do Bruce or Alfred know you aren’t at the manor?”

Damian looked down again, “Well, I’m sure they know by now.”

Tim’s jaw slowly sagged as he realized the truth.  “Oh, god.  You ran away.  Bruce must be losing his shit.  Has he called you?”

“No,” Damian said, a bit irritated.

“Check your phone, make sure you haven’t just been ignoring him.”

Damian rolled his eyes, “He doesn’t even care enough to track me down when I disappear from his house.”

Damian reached into his pocket to pull out his phone, but found nothing but lint.  His eyes widened as he groped for the device that wasn’t there.  “My phone.  Where’s my phone?  What the hell?  It was right here.  I was listening to music on it earlier.”

Tim looked at the boy appraisingly, trying to determine if the boy was telling more lies.  “Was that before or after you left the manor?”

Damian’s wide eyes grew wider still.  “I was helping Pennyworth set up, and…” Damian winced as he recalled the memory, “I took it back up to my room to charge it.”

Tim’s jaw sagged again, “You left it at home?”

Damian nodded without looking up at the teen.  Tim placed a hand comfortingly of Damian’s shoulder and said, “Brother, Bruce is going to kill you.  Come on, Damian, what were you thinking?  What is Bruce’s rule number one?”

Damian sighed and droned out, “The first rule of Bat-Club is you do not talk about Bat-Club.”

Tim rolled his eyes, “That may be true, but what is the _other_ first rule?” Damian looked confused, so Tim continued, “Don’t be unreachable!  Damian, we need to call him right now.”

As Tim was pulling out his cell phone, Damian grumbled, “You’re going to make me go back, aren’t you?”

“Why don’t we see how the conversation goes?  I’m fine with you staying longer, but I’m not your father.  We at least have to let him know where you are.”

Damian sighed, “Okay.”

Damian walked over to the couch while Tim dialed Bruce’s cell phone.  “W-what’s he going to do?” Damian asked nervously.

Tim winced, “He’s going to be greatly relieved that you are safe, and not kidnapped or dead somewhere.  Then he’s going to blow the speaker out of my phone yelling at you.”  Tim caught the fearful look on the boy’s face.  He tried to reassure him.  “He may yell and ground you, but he won’t hit you.  You know that.”

Damian nodded shakily and said quietly, “I should know that, but I’m not so certain.”

Bruce answered the phone abruptly just before it went to voicemail.  “Hi, Tim.  I really don’t have time to talk right now; bit of a crisis going on here.”

“I know, Bruce.  That’s why I’m calling.”

“…Did Dick call you?  Look, Tim, do you know how many square feet there are in this house to search?  He’s just…gone.  No note.  No nothing.  He didn’t even take his phone.  He just packed a bag and left.”

Tim turned to Damian and repeated, “…He packed a bag?”

Damian reached down next to the couch and picked up his backpack.  Inside were a couple changes of clothes, his toothbrush, his sketchbook, and several weapons he had no intention of telling Tim about.

Tim shook his head slowly, “Okay, Bruce.  Take a breath…”

“You take a breath,” Bruce interrupted, “I need to find my son.”

“Bruce, relax.  Damian is fine.”

Bruce was silent for a bit.  “…And you know this _how?_ ”

Tim winced as he said, “Because he’s sitting here, in my apartment, staring at me.”

Bruce was at a loss for words for close to a minute.  “ _What?”_

“He’s alive.  He’s safe…”

“Let me talk to him,” Bruce interrupted.

“Please calm down first, Bruce.”  Tim winced and shook his head at Damian, who looked on the verge of tears.

“Put him.  On.  The phone,” Bruce stated slowly, making sure there was no way for Tim to misinterpret his demand.

Tim sighed and said, “I’ll put you on speaker, Bruce.  Go easy, okay?  He didn’t do it to hurt you.”

Tim pushed a button on the screen of the phone before handing it to Damian.  Damian’s hand shook as he hesitantly took the device.  He opened his mouth to speak, but no words would come out.  Tim sat next to the boy and patted his shoulder, nodding encouragingly.

“F-F-Father?”

A relieved sigh could be heard through the speaker as Bruce released the breath he had been holding.  Bruce knew Tim wasn’t the type to make up a story about his runaway son being next to him; definitely not when Bruce had sounded as close to panic as he was.

“Oh, thank god.  You’re okay.  Are you okay?”

“Y-yes, Father,” Damian stammered out.

“You weren’t kidnapped, or forced to leave against your will?”

“No, Father.”

“Then what the hell were you thinking?” Bruce yelled into the phone.  “You couldn’t leave a note, or at least take your phone with you when you ran away?  We were worried sick here.  You better have a good explanation for this, young man.  Timothy, you put him in your car and bring him home _right now_ , do you understand me?”

Damian hung his head, resigning himself to a lecture and extended time confined to his room, when Tim picked up the phone. 

“Bruce, what are you planning on doing?”

“I’ll let you know when you get here,” Bruce growled.

“So, now you have time for me.  Now that I’m in trouble?”

Tim’s jaw dropped as Damian spoke.  _Kid’s got balls, speaking to Bruce like that.  I hope he’s this brave when he’s in front of Bruce._

As much as Tim thought he would, Bruce didn’t explode at Damian’s statement.  “Would you care to explain that, Damian?”

“I thought it was fairly self-explanatory, Father.  How long did it actually take you to notice I wasn’t at home?  Or, _did_ you notice I wasn’t there?”

“Alfred called me at work as soon as he noticed you were gone.  I came straight home.  We’ve been looking for you ever since.”

“And yet, when I’m sitting at the same dinner table as you, you hardly notice me.  Father, this is the longest conversation we’ve had in three weeks.  I understand that you’re busy, I really do.  But, you have more responsibilities than just work.”

Bruce sighed over the phone, “Damian, I know I have other responsibilities.  That’s why I work so hard; to provide for you in the manner you deserve.”

Damian’s face fell as he heard that.  “So, you’re saying that I deserve things, instead of your time?  Instead of you?”

“Damian, I…”

Damian’s eye’s narrowed, “Father, you are a multi-billionaire.  Not one member of our family needs to work for a paycheck until my great, great grandchildren are ready to take over Wayne Enterprises.  Remember when I told you that I needed you?  Well, I still do.”

“Then, why did you run away, son?”

Tim was staring at Damian as the boy looked at his brother sheepishly.  He spoke quietly when he said, “I left because I needed someone who would see me.  Drake told me I could come to him anytime I needed him.  Well, I needed him.  I’m sorry I didn’t leave a note, and forgetting my phone was an accident.  I thought I had it with me until right before Drake called you.  This was my only destination, and I took precautions in getting here, for safety.  I’m sorry, Father.  I will accept any punishment you choose for this transgression.”

Bruce was silent for a long minute.  Damian was holding his face in his hands when Tim finally spoke up.  “Do you still want me to bring him home, Bruce?”

Damian slowly looked up at Tim, unsure what he was feeling.  Bruce replied, “Yes, I do, but not until you two are ready.  It sounds like this wasn’t intentional, and I understand you needing your time, Damian.  I’m sorry if you feel like I drove you to this.  Tim, are you okay with your brother spending the night?”

Damian looked shocked as he realized that Bruce was allowing this.  Tim smirked at the younger brother and said, “Well, I did promise him that I would always be around for him.  I haven’t really been living up to that lately.  He can stay for the weekend, if that’s alright with you.”

Bruce sighed, “I really shouldn’t do this, but yes, it’s okay.  I just want what’s best for you, Damian.  I hope you can see that.  We’ll miss you two at the Gala tomorrow, though.”

Tim nodded, “Okay, Bruce.  Let’s just let all this calm down for a bit.  We’ll talk to you later.”

“Okay, boys.  You two have some fun together.”

“Bye, Father, thank you.”

Tim hung up the phone as Damian sat back, shocked.  “I can’t believe he was so…reasonable.”

Tim patted Damian’s knee, “I think he was just glad you were okay.”

Damian nodded, “You may be right.  More likely Pennyworth was twisting his arm behind his back while we talked.  Um…thank you…for, you know, sticking up for me.”

Tim leaned back next to Damian and nudged his brother, “That’s what brothers do.  So, we have the weekend.  Anything you want to do?”

Damian took a deep breath and yawned, saying, “I think just resting for a while sounds good to me.”

Tim smiled, “I’m right with you.”

Thirty minutes later, Damian was sound asleep on the couch, worn out from his trek across town and the emotional roller coaster of confronting Bruce.  Tim smiled as he covered the snoring boy with a blanket, picked up his phone, and walked into the kitchen.  Dialing Bruce’s phone again, he waited just two rings this time before there was a response.

“Let me guess, Jason showed up at your apartment, too?”

Tim smiled at the comment.  “No, I just wanted some clarification of what’s going on.  Are you really okay with him staying here?”

Bruce sighed, and Tim could imagine his father running his fingers through his hair.  “I’m just glad he’s safe, and had somewhere to go when he needed someone.  The real question is, are you okay with it?”

“Yeah, I’m good with it.  What’s really been going on at the manor the last couple weeks?  We talked a bit before calling you, and it sounds like it’s been crazy there.”

“It has been.  Getting ready for this party tomorrow has been a strain on Alfred.  He told me that everything has been going well, though.”

Tim’s eye’s narrowed, “Damian told me that he broke a table, or something?”

“It wasn’t his fault.  Yes, he bumped into a table in the hallway, and it did fall over.  Alfred saw the whole thing happen.  Damian didn’t hit it that hard.  When Alfred was putting it back up, he saw that the table had a broken leg.  It came like that from the rental company.  Any little movement could have knocked it over.  Other than that, Alfred was telling me just yesterday how helpful Damian has been around the house.”

“Has anyone bothered to tell _him_ that?”

“Huh,” Bruce wondered, “I guess not.  You, out of all your brothers, know that I’m not really good at expressing myself.”

“What about at…um, night?  He said that you had to…pull him out of something kind of dangerous?”

“I would rather lose a lead than a son.  That wasn’t his fault, either.  I went back the next night to check it out.  The concrete on the building was rotted.  I’m surprised it held the line for as long as it did before giving way.  There was no way he could have known that from across the street.”

It was always difficult for any of them to discuss nightly patrols on unsecured phone lines, but they managed.  It didn’t surprise Tim that Bruce would have gone back to see what actually happened in a situation like Damian had described earlier.  Knowing that Robin hadn’t screwed up made Tim, as a former Robin, very happy.  It really wasn’t his legacy that Damian was living up to, but it passed through him, and that made it his interest.

“What about the fight with Jason?”

Bruce was silent for a minute before answering quietly.  “Damian wasn’t even in the room for that.”

“No,” Tim revealed, “He told me he heard the whole thing from the hall.  He was afraid to go into the room.”

Bruce let out a harsh breath, “Damn.  I wondered why he was acting so cautious after that.  One of the conditions of Jason’s employment at Wayne Enterprises states he cannot carry firearms in the building.  He said, in no uncertain terms, that that policy would be the first thing he would change when he is head of security.  It…devolved from there.”

Tim cringed, “Ah.  Yeah, that would get you going, I guess.”

“He doesn’t blame himself for the fight, does he?” Bruce asked.

“I don’t think so, but it did scare him.”

“Damn.”

Tim ventured an opinion that had been nagging at the back of his mind.  “Don’t take this the wrong way, Bruce, but has Damian seemed overly…emotional…lately?”

“Somewhat,” Bruce said slowly.

“Has he been this judgmental and self-critical?  Has he been blaming himself for things, even though they can’t possibly be his fault?  Does he seem like he is losing self-confidence by the gallon?”

“Now that you mention it…Why do you ask?”

Tim sighed, but a grin played at his lips.  “Bruce, I think you have a bigger problem than you realize.”

Bruce sounded concerned, “Why?  What?”

The grin blossomed into a full smile as Tim laid out his diagnosis.  “Puberty.”

Tim could imagine Bruce’s eyes widening as the realization set in.  “Oh my.  He is at that age, isn’t he?  He usually seems so mature and grown up, I forget that he’s only twelve.  Is he…”

“He’s asleep on the couch.  I think it’s been a pretty trying day for him.  Throw in some roiling hormones, and it’s a wonder he didn’t either break down, or end up on the six o’clock news as the perpetrator of a killing spree.”

Bruce’s voice was a bit muffled as he said, “Dick has been hinting that this was coming for a while now.  So has Alfred.  I really shouldn’t be surprised.”

“You guided three other sons through it.  I think you’ll be able to do it again.”

Bruce sighed again, “Thanks, Tim.  Take care, okay?  I’m going to miss you at the Gala tomorrow.  You and Damian really shouldn’t get a pass on two parties in a row, though.  People were asking about you two at the Winter Party.”

“I know.  Dick told me all about it.”

A clever tone entered Bruce’s voice.  “Did he?  You know, Mike Abbey RSVP’d for four attendees.  Just saying…”

“Subtle, Bruce.  Real subtle.”

The smile was unmistakable in Bruce’s voice, “Just looking out for the future of my sons.”

“Your sons, or for future grandchildren?” Tim smirked.  “Um…don’t answer that.  Just…try to spend a little more time with Damian.  He really does want to be around you.  I know how you feel, and you know how you feel, but he still isn’t good at reading between the lines, to what goes unsaid around the manor.  He needs to hear it, Bruce.  He is trying desperately to be the son he thinks you want.  Why don’t you let him know that you just want him to be him?”

“I think I will.  You know, Damian was right.  You really are going to be the one who saves us all.  Have a good night.”

“Good night, Bruce.”

Tim hung up and walked back into the living room.  He sat back on the couch at the feet of the blanketed boy and changed the channel on the TV to the news.  He was just about to nod off himself when a groggy voice brought him back to his senses.

“…Do you think I’m really going through puberty?”

Tim smiled, “It happens to the best of us, Damian.”

“How am I going to patrol?  Criminals are going to laugh when I tell them to cease and desist and my voice cracks.”

“At least, with your complexion, you shouldn’t really have to worry about zits.  You’re pretty good about hygiene, so it shouldn’t be a big problem for you.  How much of the call did you hear?”

“All of it.  Thanks…again.  I could never say all that to him.”

Tim scooted a bit closer, pulling the tail of the blanket over his legs.  He noticed that Damian curled his legs up, to allow Tim to move even closer.  “What I said was true.  There is a lot that goes unsaid in this family.  That doesn’t mean it isn’t felt, or isn’t there.  You and Bruce are too much alike.  Once you two learn how to communicate, it’ll get better.  So, we seem to have a free weekend.  What would you like to do?”

Damian sighed, “Whatever we do, we should probably go to the party tomorrow.  I’m pretty sure I have a couple people to apologize to.  And, it would be a waste to not wear that suit again.”

Tim looked confused.  “Wait, you like wearing suits?”

“Let’s just say that I’ve had to wear things that were far less comfortable than an expertly tailored suit.  Pennyworth had to have my pants altered last week.  The tailor said I grew almost an inch since the last time I wore that suit.  I guess that confirms your puberty guess, huh?  The tailor said he couldn’t make the legs of those pants any longer, so the next time I have to go to one of these events, I will have to get a new suit.  Seems like a waste to only be able to wear a suit two or three times before growing out of it.”

“You really want to go to the party tomorrow?” Tim asked.

“No, I don’t, but I think we have to.  Father was kind enough to give us our choice of activities this weekend.  We can take a couple hours and show our support and appreciation to him for that.”

Tim patted Damian’s knee again, “That we can do.  Before that, how about we go get something to eat?”

Damian sat up and shrugged, “…Works for me, Drake.”

_The next day…_

An hour before the Spring Gala was set to begin, the first of the attendees arrived at the manor.  Alfred was running frantic, trying to juggle final preparations and instruct the staff on their duties for the day.  He stopped everything when Tim and Damian walked into the ballroom.

Stalking forward, Alfred met the boys at the door of the space.  “Well.  I didn’t expect to see either of you today.  Is everything alright?”

Damian stepped forward, consciously entering the butler’s reach.  “Pennyworth, I’m sorry about yesterday.  I didn’t mean to hurt anyone, or cause the trouble I did.  I just needed a break.  I know, it was a terrible time to snap like that.”

Alfred hadn’t expected an apology from the boy.  _However, if Bruce is correct, this may become the new norm for the boy.  At least, for the next few years._   “Yes, well, what’s done is done.  I can certainly understand feeling overwhelmed when things are changing so rapidly.  Next time, I believe you will know how to handle the situation a bit better, Master Damian.  Have you seen your father yet?  Does he know you’re here?”

Tim spoke after patting Damian on the shoulder supportively, “No, we just got here.  We actually wanted to see if you needed any help with last minute preparations.”

“I know you lost your helper for half of yesterday,” Damian said guiltily, “What can we help you with, Pennyworth?”

Alfred looked around, “For once, everything is set.  I was just giving final instructions to the staff before checking on the food one last time.”

Damian met Alfred’s eyes, “Did those instructions include the stipulation that Father and Grayson are not to be served alcohol?  There will be no drunken fools from this family here today.”

Alfred smirked at the boy, “That point was made.  I think, however, that it should be brought up with your Father.  He may not even realize what he is doing if someone were to hand him a drink.”

Damian looked determined, “I’ll make sure he gets the message.  Come on, Drake.  We should go change.  Father is upstairs already?”

“He is, young sir.”

Damian nodded and left the room.  Tim made a more pleasant departing salutation before following the boy up the stairs.  He made it to the top just in time to see Damian shove Bruce’s bedroom door open and walk boldly into the space.

Bruce looked up in shock as he was pulling his suit pants up and tucking in his shirt.  “Damian?  What are you doing here?”

“Keeping a promise, Father,” Damian said, stopping at the end of the bed.

“I gave you and Tim a pass on the party.  Didn’t he tell you that?”  Bruce looked over at the door and saw Tim leaning against the frame.  “Hello, Tim.”

“Hi, Bruce.  Don’t mind me, I’m just here for the show.”

“Show?”  Bruce turned back to his youngest, “What kind of show is he talking about?”

“He probably expects us to get into some sort of argument.  I’ll be honest, I expect you’re still mad at me, and may try some sort of punishment or lecture.  Don’t get me wrong, I deserve it, but Drake is obviously expecting some sort of fireworks.”

Bruce smirked, “Let me get this straight.  You want me to yell at you and ground you?”

Damian rolled his eyes, “Of course I don’t _want_ you to.  I’m just saying that if you do, I’ll understand.”

“Are you going to do it again?”

“Maybe?  Probably not?  I don’t know.  I wouldn’t just leave without having a destination in mind, like I did yesterday.  I left with the intention of going to Drake’s, I didn’t just end up there because I had nowhere else to go.”

Bruce accepted the answer, “Are you going to be unreachable if this ever happens again?”

“I didn’t do that on purpose.  I thought I had my phone with me…right up until the moment that Drake pointed out that you hadn’t called me.  I…I felt really bad that I forgot it here.  I didn’t want to hurt you.”

Bruce walked up and hugged Damian.  The boy realized how much he would miss this if it were gone.  “Very well.  So, why are you here?  You never promised me you would come to the party.  I was ready to let you two off.”

“You didn’t give us a pass on the party, Father.  You told us we could do whatever we wanted this weekend.  While a society gathering is not too high on the list of enjoyable activities we could be doing, I wanted to make sure you knew I wasn’t mad at you.  I didn’t leave yesterday because I was mad.  I was…overwhelmed.  What I really wanted to do today is be here to support you.”

“Thank you, son.  What about you, Tim?”

Damian answered for the teen, “He wanted to see an argument, and I needed a ride home.  Walking one way was enough for me.”

“Why do you keep saying that he wants to see an argument, when we are not going to be arguing?”

Damian met and held his father’s eyes, “Because I haven’t gotten to the promise yet.  Remember, I said I was here to keep a promise?  Well, here it is.  I promised in December to get and keep you and Grayson sober.  You are now sober, and being put in a situation where a relapse is possible.  That isn’t going to happen.  The staff has been instructed that you and Grayson are not to be served liquor.  Any staff member caught giving you or Grayson liquor will not be paid for today.  I will be with you, to keep you honest.  Is that understood?”

Bruce smiled at his son.  “To be honest, Damian, it doesn’t even interest me right now.  I _am_ glad that you will be looking out for us, though.  It’s almost party time.  You two need to go get changed.”

“Yes, Father.  We will be down soon.  Fix your tie, it’s on crooked.”

Bruce chuckled as Damian and Tim walked out of his bedroom.  He saw Damian walk straight across the hall to Dick’s room and burst in, like he did with Bruce’s room several minutes before.  Bruce had no doubt that Damian was trying to lay down the law for the party.  Bruce had to admit that he had been nervous about being around so much casual drinking, but now he felt like he could make it through the party.  After fixing his tie in the mirror, Bruce headed downstairs as he heard the doorbell ring, heralding the arrival of the first guests.

Twenty minutes later, and to Bruce’s surprise, there were faint smiles on the faces of his boys as they came down the stairs in their suits.  There were several oohs and coos from some of the partygoers as the three very similarly-featured men entered the party.

Bruce nudged the man next to him and said, “My boys know how to make an entrance, don’t they, Mike?”

Mike Abbey chuckled at the comment.  It was his first time seeing these three of Bruce’s children together in one spot.  He said, “You’re a lucky man, Bruce.  Those are three good-looking young men.  How has no one made a play for at least the oldest one?”

Bruce gave a cryptic smile and said, “Who says no one has?”

Mike returned the smile and replied, “Old Mrs. Haverstad doesn’t count.”

Greetings were exchanged all around as the boys approached their father.  They made small talk for several minutes, but Mike was only half listening.  He was looking around the room, trying to spot someone in the crowd.  Tim, who had never met the man, was wondering exactly what he was looking for.

Finally, a smile broke out on Mr. Abbey’s face, as he spotted who he was looking for.  “Tim, have you met my daughter, Gina?”

Tim turned his head in the direction the man nodded and smiled, “No, I don’t believe I have.  She doesn’t look too happy to be here, does she?”

Dick nudged his brother and said, “Why don’t you go over there and introduce yourself?  You’re right, she doesn’t look too happy at all.  Maybe she just needs a friend?”

Tim rolled his eyes at Dick and said, “You wouldn’t be asking me to go over there and cheer her up, would you?”

Bruce leaned in and said quietly, but loud enough for the group to hear, “No, I would be asking you to go over there and play the accommodating host.  Just remember, you are just as much of a host here as I am.”

Tim could hear Dick biting back a laugh as Bruce pulled out the one card that couldn’t be ignored on a party day.  If any of their guests went away with anything but positive sentiments about a Wayne party, they all would have to face the wrath of Alfred.

Tim sighed and turned to Mike.  “Is there anything I should know before I go and see if your daughter is having a good time at this party?”

Mike sighed as well as he said, “I got her concert tickets for Christmas.  The concert is tonight, and she is worried that we won’t get out of here on time to make it to the show.”

“I can see how that could be disturbing.”  Tim glanced at the attractive girl standing near the front door, hoping this wasn’t another cheap society hook-up attempt.  He had suffered through more than enough of those over the years attending these gatherings.  “She looks like she could use a friend.  No one should be alone at these events.  I suppose I can at least make an attempt.”

Tim straightened his tie as he walked off.  Bruce chuckled lightly, watching him go.

Dick caught Mike following Tim’s every movement towards his daughter with his eyes and said, “Don’t worry, Mr. Abbey.  Little Timmy is a perfect gentleman.”

Deciding that it was absolutely foolish to think that Bruce’s son would try anything at a society gathering, with so many people watching every move the Wayne family members made, Mike turned back to the room and said, “I seem to have lost track of Robin.”

Dick nudged Bruce and whispered so that only he could hear, “So have we.”

He stared pointedly at the empty space next to Bruce where Damian had stood just a minute ago.  Both fathers searched the room for their wayward children.  They saw nothing but socialites for close to three minutes before Dick tapped both men on the shoulder and said, “Found ‘em.  Don’t worry about making introductions this time, Mr. Abbey.  They seem to be doing just fine on their own.”

Growing tired of watching his elders try to find a date for Drake, Damian had wandered off.  First, he had grabbed a snack from one of the food tables.  After greeting several attendees who approached him, and receiving a warm smile from Pennyworth for his actions, he wandered vaguely back towards his father.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw what appeared to be the head of a young person, sticking out above the couch in front of the fireplace.  Damian approached the only other person in the room that he figured was close to his own age, thinking _Maybe if I have someone to talk to, this party won’t be so bad._

As he approached, the young girl sitting on the couch looked in his direction, and he was taken by her.  _She’s beautiful.  Have I ever met her before?  If I haven’t, then why not?  Father has been derelict in his duties as a host._

“H…Hi.  Um…Enjoying the party?”  Damian had spoken to many important people in his life, and none of them ever made him stammer, or cause his tongue to trip over itself.

“Kinda,” the girl blushed.  _He’s cute,_ she thought.  _Wait, I think I know him.  Isn’t he…_ “Um…do you come to a lot of these things?” Robin asked.

“Not really,” Damian replied, his own cheeks darkening.  “I can usually talk Father into letting me stay home for these parties, but that wasn’t an option this time.”

Robin Abbey turned fully to face Damian and looked closely at him.  “You’re Damian Wayne, aren’t you?”

Damian nodded gently.  “And you’re Robin Abbey, right?”

Robin blushed again.  _He knows my name!  Why does that make me feel like I’m in a Rom-Com?_   “Yeah.  Um…Hi.  It’s nice to meet you.”

“Y-Yeah, um…you too.”  Damian wished he knew what he was doing.  His mind was a blank regarding what he should be doing next.

“I-I never see you around school.  We go to the same school, right?”

“The Warrington School?” Damian asked.

“Yeah.  I never see you around.”

Damian looked down, wondering if he could remember his cover story for missing the school year.  “I haven’t been there much this year, and even when I’m there, I try not to be seen.”

Robin found this boy very easy to talk to, which was a first for her with boys.  “Why not?”

“Why not?  Because I’m twelve, and I just finished my sophomore year.  No one cares if I’m there; they barely even see me when I want to be seen.  It’s just easier to stay under the radar.”

Damian looked up and saw compassion in her eyes.  “That’s sad, Damian.  Wait, did you say you just finished sophomore year?”

Damian looked at Robin strangely, wondering what he had said wrong in his explanation.  “Yeah, why?”

Mixed shock and jealousy wreathed Robin’s face as she said, “One, how did you get so far ahead?  Two, it’s the middle of March.  School doesn’t get out for another three months.  How can you be done?”

Damian looked a bit sheepish.  _She is so easy to talk to.  I’ve never been this open with someone I just met.  I need to be careful, or she might wind up finding out she isn’t the only Robin in this conversation._   “Well, since I missed the first semester doing the study abroad program, Father pulled me out and let me finish the school year through home schooling.  I just finished the last packet for the year this last week.”

“That’s so cool,” she said, “I wish I could do home schooling.  It would be so much easier.”

Damian scoffed, “Not always, but it has its perks.  The good part is you’re home all day.  The bad part is that you’re home all day.”

Robin looked around and said, “Speaking of home, I can’t get over this place.  It’s huge!  How do you not get lost?”

Damian gave a small smile and said, “Do you want to know a secret?”

Robin leaned closer and flashed a brilliant smile that made Damian’s heart skip a beat.  “Yeah.  What is it?”

Damian took a deep breath and said, “I only go into four rooms, so I don’t get lost.”

Robin looked at him, not sure if she should believe him.  “Shut…up.  That can’t possibly be true.”

Damian nodded, trying to hide the smirk that wanted to break through on his face.  “My bedroom, the den, the dining room, and Father’s study.”

A girlish laugh caught the attention of Bruce, Dick, and Mike.  They looked over to the couch, along with several other partygoers, to see Robin tossing her head back in laughter.

“She’s laughing,” Mike said, appreciatively.

Dick wore an ear to ear grin as he said, “She’s not just laughing; she’s laughing at something Damian said.  He’s flirting, and it looks like he’s doing a good job.”

Mike stared at Dick as Bruce gave a paternal smile and said, “I’m just glad that noise didn’t come from my son.”

“Bruce,” Mike said, suddenly serious, “I don’t want to make any assumptions, but you do still have a reputation around town as a playboy.  Does Damian take after you?”

“In more ways than I can count,” Bruce said, more to himself.

Robin smiled at the boy again and said, “So it’s true?  You spent the semester studying overseas?  It was all over school that you were in Germany.”

_People talk about me at school?  Huh, who knew?_   “France.  I was in France, studying art.  You only go to Germany to study beer and dictatorships.”

Robin laughed again, making Damian smile.  _I could hear that laugh every day, and never get bored of it._

Robin looked down, blushing a bit as her hand inched towards Damian’s.  “So, are you any good?”

_Is she talking about art, or…_ “Well, art is subjective.  I mean, you could work for years on what you believe is your greatest masterpiece, and the best thing the world has ever seen, and the next person to come along will see it as just another picture.  Art has to be done for your own reasons.  If you go to art school thinking you are going to become the next Rembrandt, or even the next Bob Ross, you won’t end up going too far.”

Robin looked back up as her pinky finger made contact with his, sending an electric shock through the younger boy.  Her finger wrapped around his, and Damian inched his hand closer to hers.  His heart was beating a mile a minute, and the only thing filling his mind was her.

“What’s your reason?” she asked softly.

“It calms me,” he whispered.

Robin looked at him curiously and asked, “What do you need to be calmed from?  You’re the cute son of a rich guy.”

_She thinks I’m cute!  She’s also getting too close to the truth._   “Can we just leave it at there’s more to me than that?”

Damian looked at her hopefully.  His blue eyes met her green ones, and he found himself getting lost in her gaze.  Only her voice was able to break him out of the trance he was entering.

“I guess so, but I would love to see some of your art.”

Damian shook himself back to the present.  “I had to leave just about all of it at the school.  It’s just as well, I’m a terrible painter, and that is what the teachers seemed to want us to focus on.  I could show you my sketchbook, though.”

She smiled demurely at him, and said, “I’d like to see that.”

“Bruce, where are they going?” Mike asked as they saw Damian and Robin rise from the couch and get lost in the crowd of guests.

“Maybe they’re just going to get something to eat or drink.  They have been sitting there talking for half an hour.”

“Should I be worried?  I mean, you said he takes after you.  I know we kind of conspired to get them together…um, I mean, to meet, but I’m starting to have second thoughts about this idea.”

“Now that _your_ idea seems to be working out better than either one of us thought it would?” Bruce asked with a smirk on his face.  Bruce was having the same thoughts as he said, “Damian has a good head on his shoulders.”

Dick leaned over and said, “A good head on his shoulders, yes.  However, those shoulders are attached to the body of a twelve year old boy.  I’m sure you’ve noticed by now that the hormones are flowing, Bruce.  Didn’t you and Tim just talk about that last night?  You throw a pretty girl at him, those hormones might take over.”

“I think we can give him a little room, until he tries to do something stupid.”

The men continued talking for several more minutes, until the color left Dick’s face as he was staring over Bruce’s shoulder.  “Uh, Bruce?  He might be trying to do something stupid.”

“What are you talking about, Dick?”

Dick pointed to the stairs, where the three men were just able to see Robin and Damian at the top of the stairs.  Damian was leading Robin into the Residence Wing.

“Wayne,” Mike said sternly, “We need to have a long talk, once we go stop whatever he’s planning on doing to my daughter.”

Dick was smiling as he said, “They were holding hands.  I think it’s kind of cute.”

Both parents turned on him and said simultaneously.

“She’s thirteen!”

“He’s twelve!”

“Yes,” Dick smirked, “And since I was those ages far more recently than either of you, I think you may have forgotten a few things about being that young.”

“Like what?” Mike asked, his anger starting to cool.

“Like thinking you know everything, or are ready for anything, but when it’s staring you in the face, you have no idea what to do.  When it looks you in the eye, you are so nervous that you are lucky if you don’t throw up all over yourself.”

Bruce smirked, remembering his first young love happening much the way Dick described it.  Mike nodded as well and said, “Your boy may have a good head on his shoulders, but Robin has been known to be a bit…impulsive.”

Bruce looked at the man, shocked.  _You were concerned about Damian, when you describe your own daughter as impulsive?_   “Let’s go.”

“Is that a sword?  Why do you have a sword?”

Robin stood in the middle of Damian’s room, slowly turning around.  She hadn’t expected a young boy’s room to be so clean.  Then again, she hadn’t expected to be invited to a young boy’s room.  _I know they have a butler, but I think Damian might just be a naturally tidy person.  I’ve never been in a boy’s room before._

“Yeah, it was a birthday present from my brother.  It’s a prop from Kill Bill, my favorite movie.”

Damian drew the sword, enjoying the little gasp the girl gave as the metal hummed.  He gave it an elaborate spin which ended with the handle pointed at his visitor.  “Would you like to hold it?”

Nervously, she took the weapon from the smiling boy.  Her jaw fell as she gripped the handle.  “It’s really heavy.  How were you holding it with just one hand?  And that spin…thing.  Do you take martial arts, or something?”

“I…used to,” Damian covered as best he could.

“Oh no!” Robin gasped as the handle slipped from her hand.

“Look out!” Damian cried as he grabbed the girl’s shoulders and pulled her away from the falling blade.  They both stood back and watched as the sharpened blade clattered to the floor.  Only when he turned to look at the girl did he realize he still had his arm wrapped around her shoulder.  He was very happy to see that she didn’t look like she had any intention of moving from under his arm.

“Are you okay?” he whispered.

She nodded and whispered back, “Sorry I dropped your sword.”

“Don’t worry about that,” Damian said, a small sigh escaping his lips, “I’m just glad you aren’t hurt.”

Robin’s hand brushed along Damian’s arm as she said, “Me too.”

“Why don’t you sit down?  I’ll put the sword away, and we can look at my sketchbook.”  She nodded and Damian reluctantly let go of the girl.

He turned his back as he sheathed the sword and grabbed the book.  When he turned back, his mind stalled and went completely blank.  _She’s sitting on my bed.  This is all moving too fast, no matter how beautiful she is._

Swallowing hard, Damian sat next to the girl and set the book on their knees.

“See, you two.  Nothing to worry about.  His door is open.” Dick breathed a sigh of relief at that little miracle.  He might not have been able to stop either man from killing Damian if the door had been closed.

“What exactly does that mean, Dick,” Mike asked.

“He’s nervous, Mr. Abbey.  Try to at least see what they’re doing, before you run in yelling.”

“Yeah,” Bruce grumbled, “Save the yelling for me.”

The three men stood in the boy’s doorway.  Mike looked around, impressed.  _This room might be bigger than the master suite at my house.  Just how rich is this guy?_   They found the pair sitting on the bed, fully clothed, to Mike’s relief.  Their shoulders were pressed together as their heads were bowed over the book on their laps.  Their hands were entwined on the bed behind them as one or the other took turns flipping the page.

“These are really good, Damian,” they heard the girl say.

Damian’s blush was unmistakable from across the room as they heard him whisper, “Thank you.”

Bruce and Mike heaved matching sighs of relief at the innocent activity.  Mike cleared his throat from the doorway and said gently, “Robin, sweetheart, it’s time to go.”

The girl looked up and blushed at the three men standing in the doorway.  _How long have they been standing there?_ she thought.

Damian looked down, trying to hide his embarrassment, and not wanting to see the looks he was being given.  He did look up with pleasure, however, when Robin said, “Do we have to, Dad?”

“You’re going to the concert with Gina, remember?  You don’t want to be late, right?”

Robin sighed and said reluctantly, “Okay, Dad.”

The girl stood slowly, Damian following suit.  “I had fun today, thanks to you, Damian.  I thought this would be another boring party.  Thanks for making it better.  Can…can I see you again?”

“I hope so,” Damian whispered.  He held on to her hand as she walked away, until their fingers slipped apart as their arms couldn’t stretch any farther.  “Wait.”

Robin stopped, and all eyes were watching his every move.  Damian went to his desk, grabbed a pencil, and scribbled something on a page before ripping it from his sketchbook.  He folded it in half and stuck it in her hand.  She unfolded it, looked at it, smiled brightly, and kissed Damian on the cheek before walking out of the room with her father.

Bruce and Dick approached the stunned boy as he stood staring at the open door, with his hand covering where her lips had just landed.

“What did you give her to get that reaction?” Bruce asked.

Shaking himself, Damian said, “Huh?  Oh, one of my sketches.”

“Which one?” Dick asked with a smirk.

“The rose,” Damian said distractedly.

“What did you write on it?” Bruce asked curiously.

“’Something to remember today by’,” Damian said, before a smile crossed his lips and he continued, “And my phone number.”

A proud grin crossed Bruce’s face as he thought, _That’s my boy._

Dick sang a line from the old song, causing Bruce to chuckle softly.  “…And they call it, puppy looooove!”

“She’s not a dog, Grayson!” Damian snapped, “She’s beautiful.”

“Come on, you two, let’s get back to the party, before people start talking more than they already are.  If you’re lucky, Damian, you won’t make the society page tomorrow.”

Damian walked ahead, dazed, as Dick whispered to Bruce, “Should we tell him he has lipstick on his cheek?”

“Not a chance,” Bruce whispered back, “It’s cute.”

“I thought you said you _didn’t_ want him making the society page tomorrow?”

Damian stood between his father and brother for most of the rest of the party, his mind endlessly replaying the best hour he had ever spent at a society gathering.  He eventually walked away and sat on the couch, unconsciously taking the seat where Robin had been sitting.  Tim approached and sat down as the party began winding down.

“You okay, Damian?  You’ve been sitting here for over an hour without moving.”

“Yeah…she’s great.  I mean, I’m fine, Drake,” Damian said, returning to himself.

“She?” Tim asked, smiling.  He poked at Damian’s cheek and said, “Is that where you got this?”

“Got what?” Damian asked curiously.

“Damian, there’s lipstick on your cheek.  You obviously got farther with your date than I did with mine.”

“It wasn’t a date, Drake,” Damian said testily.  _Or, was it?  Would it be so bad if it was?_   “Robin and I just talked.”

Tim’s smile grew as he asked, “In your room?  While holding hands?”

“You talked to Father and Grayson,” Damian grumbled.  “Are they making fun of me, too?”

“I’m not making fun of you, Damian.  You had a good time.  That is what you are supposed to do at parties.  They’re not making fun of you, either.  In fact, if I had to describe their one overall emotion about the whole thing, I would say that they are proud of you.  It was just a bit unexpected.  I think they had their bets on me and Gina Abbey working out more than you and Robin Abbey.”

An unexpected grin wreathed Damian’s face.  “They tried setting you up with Gina?”

“Why is that so funny?” Tim asked, confused.

A laugh escaped the boy, “Because you have no chance with her.”

“…And you know this how?”

“Robin told me.  She told me that, after the Winter Party, she overheard her parents talking about you and Gina possibly getting together.  Her mom was concerned about whether you take after Father or not, you know, his reputation in society.”

“Still not seeing what’s so funny about this.”

Damian sighed, “Let me see if I can explain it better.  Father has a reputation as a playboy.  A new woman every month, and all that.  According to the papers, Father is always on the lookout for a woman.  Well, so is Gina.”

Several emotions played across Tim’s face, each new one sending a little hint of delight through Damian as Tim worked it out.  “Wait, you mean she’s a lesbian?” he hissed out.

Damian smiled and nodded.  “Her parents don’t know, which is why they keep trying to hook her up with guys.  You were just their latest attempt.”

His pride sufficiently wounded, Tim said, “That makes so much sense now.  She was nice, and all, but I thought something was off.  I mean, come on, who can resist me in this suit?”

Damian shook his head, “Don’t try using Grayson’s excuses, they don’t work for you.”

Tim’s shoulders slumped, “I know.  I was hoping it would help.”

“I’m here for you, Drake, if you want a shoulder to cry on.”

Tim smiled softly.  “I really don’t have anything to cry about.  I had a nice conversation with a friendly person.  We actually had a lot in common.  We like a lot of the same foods, music, movies…”

Damian interrupted with a laugh, “…Women.”

Tim snorted, “Probably.”

Dick leaned over the back of the couch and threw an arm around each brother.  “Well, we know that Damian hit one out of the park.  How did you do, Timmy?”

Tim looked at Damian and said, “Swing and a miss.”

“Strike one?”

“Strike out.  Turns out we’re playing for the same team.”

“Wow,” Dick said, his jaw dropping, “Didn’t see that one coming.”

With the last of the guests gone, Bruce made his way over to see his boys.  “Well, you two certainly made for an interesting party.  Thanks for taking the time to make an appearance.”

Damian smiled up at his father.  “The Abbey’s are invited to all of your parties, right Father?”

“Yes.  Whether Mike will choose to bring Robin again may be a question that you don’t like the answer to, though.  Want to explain what happened?”

Damian blushed a little as he started his story.  “I was sort of regretting choosing to come to the party.  It was just all the same boring socialites.  I went to get a snack, then I saw her sitting on the couch.  I was just going to say hi, but…she was so beautiful.  I couldn’t walk away.  We started talking about school, and she asked me about studying abroad.  I was telling her about art, and she asked if I could show her something I had done.  The only thing I have is my sketchbook, so I offered to show her that.”

“So you took her up to your room, instead of bringing the book down here?” Bruce asked, a playful smile on his face.

“…I didn’t think of that.  We weren’t doing anything wrong, were we?”

“Not wrong, but maybe misguided.  Anyway, keep going.”

“Well, we got to my room, and I showed her my sword…”

“Wait.  Whoa. Time out.” Dick was waving his arms as he spoke.  “By _sword_ , you mean…”

Damian looked confused, “My sword.  The one Drake gave me for my birthday.  She saw it and asked me why I had a sword.  What did you think I meant by sword?”

Dick shook his head, “That.  I thought you meant exactly that.  Continue.”

Damian didn’t notice the way Bruce elbowed Dick as he continued talking.  “I only have the one chair in my room, so we sat on the bed and looked at my sketchbook.  We were only there for a few minutes before you came in.”

“And your hands?” Bruce asked.

Damian shrugged, “We had to do something with them.  If it makes it any better, she was holding my hand first.  I wasn’t exactly going to say no, but she did start it.  Did I do something wrong, Father?”

Dick and Tim stared up at Bruce wondering how he would react.  To their surprise, Bruce smiled, “No, son.  You didn’t do anything wrong.  Answer this, though.  Do you plan on seeing her again?”

Damian perked up, “Can I?  When?”

Dick laughed, “I think that’s a yes, Bruce.”

“I know your education and upbringing have been about as unconventional as possible, but are we going to need to have the sex talk?”

Damian looked down, not embarrassed, but not comfortable talking about the topic, either.  “Can we talk about why that isn’t necessary later, Father?  I…It’s been a good day, I don’t want to ruin it by bringing that back up again.”

Bruce put a hand on Damian’s shoulder.  Damian looked up and saw shocked compassion in Bruce’s face.  “I’m sorry, Damian.  I forgot.  If you want to talk…”

“I do, but…not today.”

The uncomfortable silence that followed was broken a minute later by Dick, as he said softly, “At least Bruce and I can report that we didn’t have any drinks.”

“Actually,” Bruce said, “I didn’t have anything to drink at all.  My throat is dry.  Why don’t we go get something, and let these two plan out the rest of their brother’s weekend?”

Damian looked at his father, shocked, “You’re still going to let us do that?”

“Why not?  I think you two have earned it.”

After changing, Tim and Damian were walking down the stairs to bid Bruce goodbye before leaving.  They were distracted by the front door opening.  Their jaws dropped in unison as Jason walked into the manor.

“What are you doing here, Todd?” Damian asked, not unkindly.

Jason tried to put an innocent look on his face as he said, “Bruce asked me to stop by.  He mentioned something going on today.”

Tim shook his head, “You missed the party, Jason.”

Both younger brothers caught the flash of a smile that crossed Jason’s face before he got his look back under control.  “Party?  You guys had a party today?  Hm…my invitation must have gotten lost in the mail.  Oh well, I guess I should go see what Bruce wanted, and maybe stop by to see Alfred.”

“You can cut the act, Todd,” Damian said, rolling his eyes.  “We know you’re here hoping to eat all the leftovers without having to put up with the society crowd.  I kind of wish we had thought of that, actually.”

Tim turned to the youngest brother and said with a smirk, “No, you don’t.  Remember, coming here was your idea, and you were the one to get the most out of the party.”

Damian’s phone vibrated in his pocket.  He pulled it out and read the text message on the screen.  Instantly, his eyes took on a far-off gaze, his smile softened, and he sighed contentedly.  Forgetting he had been talking to anyone just seconds before, Damian walked off and sat on the couch.

Jason followed his every move with his eyes, wondering what had changed in the past seven seconds.  “Is he okay, Tim?  He didn’t get a concussion on patrol or anything, did he?”

Tim smiled brightly, “It’s worse than that.  He’s in love.”

Jason was shocked, “Really?  Him?  Did you read the text over his shoulder, or something?  How do you know?”

“He was introduced to the daughter of one of Bruce’s friends at the party.  He ended up giving her his number, after spending most of the party together.  She obviously had a good time, too, if she’s texting him an hour after she left.”

Dick leaned over the back of the couch and read over Damian’s shoulder.  “’Thanks for making the party not suck.  Here’s my phone number.  Hope to see you soon.’  Looks like you made an impression, Damian.”

Damian typed out a quick ‘Hope to see you soon, too.  Enjoy your concert tonight’ before saving Robin’s number in his contacts.  He sighed as he asked quietly, “Do you think I even have a chance, Grayson?”

“A chance for what?”

“I’ve never felt like this before.  I like her.  I don’t want to screw it up.”

Dick was shocked that Damian sounded so vulnerable.  He grabbed Damian’s shoulder and shook it gently, “Then don’t screw it up.”

“I’ve screwed up so much lately, though.  I feel like I don’t know what I’m doing anymore.”

Dick rounded the couch and sat down next to his lost-looking brother.  “Why don’t you have a long talk with Bruce tomorrow, see if he can’t put your mind at ease.  If that doesn’t help, then Tim and I are here for you.  You won’t screw this up, though.”

Damian turned pleading eyes on Dick as he asked, “But, how do you know I won’t mess up?”

Dick smiled, “I didn’t say you won’t mess up.  I can guarantee you will, but you won’t hurt her.  You want it too much to do anything like that.  Just relax, okay.  Take it slow.  You might not have a choice in that, the way Mike Abbey was looking earlier.”

Damian grumbled, “I get it, okay?  Taking her to my room was a bad idea.  We really only went there to look at my sketchbook, honest.  I think I was too nervous to do anything else.  I’m not that nervous when gangsters are shooting at me.”

“That’s because the gangsters don’t care about you, and you don’t care about them.  I think you care for Robin Abbey, and I think she cares for you.  That is something special.  I know you.  You will do everything you can to make sure you don’t hurt her.”

Damian nodded, thinking, as Tim and Jason walked up to the couch.  “Everything okay over here, Big Bird?” Jason asked.

Dick shrugged as Damian turned to look at the standing pair.  He said harshly, “Go ahead.  Get the jokes out of your system, Todd, while I’m still in a good mood.”

Jason looked down at the boy and said softly, “I don’t have any jokes, Little D.  I didn’t know you had it in you.  I’m glad you are able to find someone that makes you happy, after everything you’ve been through.  What’s her name?”

Damian looked shocked.  He expected Jason to go on for hours at his expense.  “Robin,” the boy said quietly.

Jason threw his head back and laughed out loud.  Wiping his eye as he calmed a bit, Jason looked back at the glaring boy and said, “Okay, now I have jokes.  She’s really named Robin?  That’s perfect.”

Damian growled, “I changed my mind, Todd.  I don’t want to hear them.”

Bruce walked in the room at the sound of Jason’s laughter.  Approaching his second son, Bruce said, “We missed you at the party.  You do know that, now that you are becoming a public figure again, you are going to be expected to actually come to these things again.”

Jason shook his head, “Not a chance, Bruce.  They don’t need to know I’m alive.  How would they find out?”

“You work for Wayne Enterprises.  Our employment rosters are public records, just like the declaration from the judge stating you are alive.  Just know, when it gets out, I _will_ direct the papers straight to you, so you can answer their questions.  So, did you get the wrong time on the invitation, or are you here to just steal the leftovers?”

Jason looked uncomfortable as he said, “Well, if I remember correctly, Alfred makes some pretty good food for these parties of yours.”

Damian smirked, “I knew it.”

“What was so funny earlier, Jason?” Bruce asked.

The smirk found its place on Jason’s face again.  “Is it true?  Has our Boy Wonder found a Girl Wonder?  Are you okay with him dating someone named Robin?”

“We’re not dating,” Damian said, concerned, “We just met this afternoon.”

“I seem to be more okay with it than her father is.  At least for now.  Once she is able to convince Mike that Damian didn’t try anything, then maybe he’ll settle down.  How did you find out about that, Jason?”

Damian smiled and said wistfully, “She texted me.”

“Already?  You really must have made an impression, son.”

“She wants to see me again.”

Bruce’s smile matched Damian’s as he said quietly, “You definitely take after me.  That’s my boy.”  Turning to Tim, he asked, “Have you two decided what you’re doing with the rest of your weekend?”

Tim said, “We have a couple plans.  Actually, we should go if we’re going to make the movie.  You ready, Damian?”

Damian blinked a couple times before standing up and saying, “Yes.  Let’s go.”

Tim started walking towards the door, but stopped as he heard Jason say, “Hey, what are you doing, short stuff?”

Tim turned back to see Damian, holding a handful of Jason’s jacket, drag the man towards the door.  “You’re coming with us, Todd.  We’re getting burgers and seeing a movie.”

Tim and Bruce shot each other matching smirks as Jason said, “Why am I coming with you?”

“Because you are not going to sit here and eat all of _my_ leftovers, when you didn’t even show up for the party in the first place.  You want party food, you need to come to the party.”

As he was dragged into the entryway, Jason shot a look at Bruce and said, “He’s definitely yours, Bruce.  I’m starting to wonder who really runs this house anymore.”

Father and sons all stood by the front door and looked at each other, thinking about Jason’s question, before they all nodded and answered at the same time.

“Alfred.”

 

**A/N: Hope you like this one.  I actually had the idea for this one about halfway through School of Wrong.  I wanted a little Tim/Damian bonding piece to follow up from the last chapters of School of Wrong, as well.  This is actually a combination of two stories that I was planning.  These pieces didn’t work in the tales I originally had them in, but I think they work well together, so I rearranged my stories a bit.**

**Robin Abbey was originally invented, by me, to be a comic relief point, a throwaway mention.  As School of Wrong developed, and my characters evolved, I decided to actually develop her as a character for my universe.  She has several more appearances and mentions planned in upcoming stories.  I like Damian, so I wanted to do something nice for his character.  After all I’ve done to injure, mutilate, and otherwise abuse him in several of my stories, I felt he deserved a break, and for something nice to happen to him.**

**Thanks for playing along.  I hope to have my next short story up soon.**


End file.
